Two lawyers representing the jailed May Day activists quit on Friday after officials at a special court in Insein Prison subjected them to ‘inappropriate’ body searches.
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Veteran Burmese politician and self-styled nationalist, Amyotharye U Win Naing, has urged humanitarian and aid groups, including individuals to come to the rescue of the poor and the needy in Burma.
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The Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) is awaiting the outcome of the final session of the National Convention (NC) and bracing itself for increased political, military and economic pressure from Burma’s ruling junta, said a KIO official.
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An order for relocation sent to the United Wa State Army by Burma’s ruling junta in July has stirred hostility among the group, say sources close the Wa, who add that the two sides are preparing for battle.
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A bomb exploded in the Nanphalong market on the India-Burma border on Saturday, damaging property and prompting security crackdowns in both Moreh and Tamu.
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Burmese living along the China-Burma border have stopped eating pork in the last few months due to an outbreak of what is known as “blue-ear” pig disease in areas of northeastern Burma and western China, according to sources in the area.
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More than 5,000 Burmese refugees who are not registered with the UNHCR in Mae La Camp near Mae Sot on the Thailand border have been urged by Thai officials to voluntarily return to Burma, according to the Karen Refugee Committee.
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National identity cards are popular collateral in some townships in Rangoon where poor residents have to hand over their cards to creditors for a one-day loan, say township residents.
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Vietnam is seeking to develop transit trade with Myanmar through the East-West Economic Corridor Highway covered by the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS)- Economic Cooperation Program, according to local media report Tuesday.
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Dengue fever has killed nearly 100 children in military-run Myanmar in the first seven months of the year, a senior health official said Tuesday, amid fears of a possible epidemic in Southeast Asia.
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Some 40 million methamphetamine pills were seized and 100 clandestine methamphetamine labs raided last year in Asia, where 60 per cent of the world’s 25 million abusers of amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) reside, the United Nations revealed Tuesday.
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Dozens of Burmese activists rallied in Malaysia on Tuesday, urging China, India and Russia to cut support for the military-ruled country until democracy is restored.
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As part of a marathon global diplomatic trip to consult with key nations o­n the Burma issue, the United Nations secretary-general’s special adviser o­n Burma started a four-nation trip to Singapore o­n Monday before a final trip to Burma, according to a UN statement.
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Asean was founded in 1967 in Bangkok at Thai Foreign Ministry offices during a tumultuous time in the region. Mainland and archipelagic Southeast Asian region were divided into three different regions. (more…)

More than 50 British MPs have joined forces to call for the release of 12 MPs from Burma who have been imprisoned by the dictatorship ruling the country. The MPs are demanding that the UN Special Envoy to Burma and the British government step up efforts to release these MPs, and all political prisoners in Burma.
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